Things look bad for the ‘t Nupke mill in Geldrop. The four millers have been fighting for years against a permit that the municipality granted for the construction of an apartment complex in the area. According to the millers, the complex takes away too much wind. But the Council of State sidelined the four millers on Wednesday. Construction of the complex may continue as normal.
“Very disappointing,” says miller Frans Tullemans, who runs ‘t Nupke. The mill is 180 years old and must be able to run properly to remain intact. Tullemans believes that the arrival of the 15-metre-high apartment complex in the area will change considerably the wind around the mill. “It looks bad for the millers now, but the mill is the big loser.”
The Council of State has ruled that the millers are not interested in the case. The municipality of Geldrop-Mierlo was the owner when the permit was granted. “Geldrop has neglected its property,” says Tullemans.
“We have to start thinking about the future.”
The millers objected to the permit and went to court with a management agreement. They initially won in court, but the Council of State has now annulled the ruling. The highest administrative body believes that the millers have ‘insufficient direct interest’. “The Council of State did not consider the consequences of the wind obstruction, but only looked at us as an interested party,” says Tullemans.
This means that all options for the millers have been exhausted. “We all have to start thinking about our future,” says Tullemans. “At some point you’re not going to flog a dead horse.” According to him, the new construction will cause bad winds around the mill. “I am also afraid that the municipality will see it as a license to allow even more new construction in the area.”
“Trying with all our might to keep the mill afloat.”
Yet Tullemans does not want to leave immediately. “We will try with all our might to keep this mill afloat. But it will become a lot more difficult again. I have no idea what the builders of the apartment are going to do, but they will want to start doing it soon.” Running the mill electrically is an option, but that is difficult to swallow for many millers.
The Geldrop mill is not the only one that suffers from a changing environment and therefore ‘bad wind’. The surroundings of many mills are under pressure. Due to new construction projects or advancing greenery, 49 of the 126 windmills in our province have a poor environment, according to a report by the Molenstichting Noord-Brabant. The wind around the mill is sometimes too little or sometimes too much and often too gusty.
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